Circular transfer apparatus are known, which comprise a rotating plate at the periphery of which are mounted devices for holding and handling ordered sets of phials and adapted to be brought to different conditioning stations where operators manually carry out successive operations for handling and conditioning the phials. Such an apparatus is disclosed in French Pat. No. 1,128,044. Said apparatus does not permit to achieve automatic operation at high operating rates and therefore requires numerous and skilled operators. Automatized apparatus are also known which comprise means for accomplishing, at the related stations, a reversal of the devices for holding and handling the sets of phials as well as for actuating the related devices for successively raising and lowering the assembly comprising the rotating table and said holding and handling devices so as to selectively bring the sets of phials in immersed position within the stationary conditioning pans. Such an apparatus however shows structural and functional complexity, more particularly as concerns the power transmission between the rotating table and the driving motor, as also sealing and centering difficulties at the interface between the phials holding and handling devices and the conditioning pans.